CNA Requirements in Rhode Island: 120-Hour Training

How to become a CNA in Rhode Island: a 120-hour state training minimum, the Credentia competency exam — verified from Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), Center for Health Professions Regulation — Nursing Assistant licensing, advised by the Nursing Assistant Advisory Board. The Department is the "certifying agency" named in the statute: "'Certifying agency' means the state department of health" (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-2(a)(1)). Examination administration is contracted out — the Department directs candidates to register for both the written and skills examinations through Credentia. (official site) and last verified August 16, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

What the credential is: Rhode Island LICENSES nursing assistants — it is one of the states where the credential is a real state licence issued by a health department, not merely a listing on a federal registry. The regulation's own definition: a nursing assistant is "a paraprofessional who holds a Rhode Island license pursuant to the provisions of the Act and this Part, and who is trained to give personal care and related health care and assistance based on his or her level of preparation to individuals who are sick, disabled, dependent, or infirm" (216-RICR-40-05-22, § 22.3(A)(15)), and § 22.5(A) makes it a condition of employment: "No person shall be employed in this State as a nursing assistant or medication aide unless he or she holds a license as a nursing assistant in accordance with the provisions of the Act and this Part." WHO ISSUES IT: the Rhode Island Department of Health — the statute calls the Department the "certifying agency" (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-2(a)(1)) and § 22.5.5(A) says "The Department shall issue to applicants who have satisfactorily met the license requirements of this Part a license as a nursing assistant and/or medication aide." No board of nursing is involved; a Nursing Assistant Advisory Board of eleven members advises the Director (§ 22.9). TWO OFFICIAL VOCABULARIES, RECORDED BOTH WAYS AND NOT RESOLVED SILENTLY: the STATUTE speaks of registration; its History of Section line runs "P.L. 1987, ch. 564, § 1; P.L. 1989, ch. 270, § 2; P.L. 1992, ch. 435, § 2; P.L. 1999, ch. 355, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 77, art. 14, § 30; P.L. 2007, ch. 73, art. 39, § 33; P.L. 2012, ch. 241, art. 9, § 42," so the section has been touched as recently as 2012 — chapter 23-17.9 is titled "Registration of Nursing Assistants" and § 23-17.9-6 says "Every nursing assistant being employed as a nursing assistant or offering services as a nursing assistant must obtain a certificate of registration issued by the department," with renewal biennially under § 23-17.9-7 ("Renewal of certificate of registration"). The REGULATION (effective 02/01/2023) and every current Department form say "license." Both are Rhode Island's own words. The federal registry still exists underneath: § 23-17.9-6 provides that "if required by federal mandate the department will also keep a separate nurse aide registry," and the regulation defines "Registry" as "the Department's licensure database that provides a mechanism to verify the status of a nursing assistant's license" (§ 22.3(A)(21)) — in Rhode Island the registry and the licence database are the same thing.
Qualifications for a licence: § 22.5.3(A): "An applicant seeking a license as a Nursing Assistant must demonstrate: 1. Successful completion of a department-approved nursing assistant training program; or be actively enrolled in a nursing program in accordance with § 22.5.1(D) of this Part; and 2. Successful completion of the required nursing assistant examination; or 3. Possession of a current license as a nursing assistant in good standing in another State or jurisdiction that includes successful completion of a State-approved training program that meets or exceeds Rhode Island Nursing Assistant training program requirements, and successful completion of a State-approved nursing assistant exam, and provides documentation of the equivalent of three (3) months of full-time work experience as a nursing assistant; or 4. Successful completion of a one hundred (100) hour State-approved training program in another State or jurisdiction that includes a minimum of twenty (20) hours of practical clinical training under supervision, and successful completion of a nursing assistant examination."
Criminal background check — a BCI from the Attorney General, dated within four months: Every application must be accompanied by a "Full Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) check from the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office" (§ 22.5.3(D)(1)(b)(5)). The Department's application is more specific: "Original BCI (Background Check) with stamp and seal from the RI Attorney General's Office only... If positive BCI, a detailed explanation is required for each incident. BCI must be dated within 4 months of the date of this application." No Rhode Island source read on 2026-08-16 lists a categorical bar for a particular conviction on the nursing assistant side; the only conviction bar stated in the regulation is on the MEDICATION AIDE side, where an applicant must "Not have been convicted of any felony for crimes involving controlled substances," subject to Department waiver (§ 22.5.3(B)(3)).
Minimum age: Sixteen. The regulation and the statute state no age, and neither does the Department's application — all three were searched on 2026-08-16. The figure comes from the Rhode Island candidate handbook the Department directs candidates to: "In order to be a nurse aide in Rhode Island, you must be sixteen (16) years of age or older." That handbook is published by Credentia, the Department's testing contractor, on a Credentia host; it is recorded here with that attribution rather than as a Rhode Island regulatory requirement.
The one-year clock, and what happens when it runs out: "All applicants shall be required to successfully complete the nursing assistant examinations within a period of one (1) year from the date that the applicant began the nursing assistant training program. If more than one (1) year has passed, the nursing assistant applicant shall be required to complete the nursing assistant training program again" (§ 22.5.4(B)). The statute is stricter in wording and reaches the same place: "All applicants not otherwise exempted are required to complete the process of training and examination within a period of one year from the date of initiation of training. Failure to successfully complete this process within one year requires that the applicant repeat the training program and be retested" (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-6). Note the clock starts when TRAINING BEGINS, not when it ends — unusual, and the opposite of the states that measure from completion. Separately, the Department states that "Applications are valid for a 1 year period."
Three attempts: "Nursing assistant applicants shall be given three (3) opportunities to successfully complete both the written and practical components of the nursing assistant examinations. After three (3) unsuccessful attempts to complete the nursing assistant examinations, the nursing assistant shall be required to repeat the nursing assistant training program" (§ 22.5.4(C)).
Who pays — and the six-month refund: The applicant pays the $35.00 fee up front, but a facility-employed aide gets it back: "If the nursing assistant is employed by a health care facility at the time of application and is continuously employed by the same facility for six (6) months after the license is issued, the fee required pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-5 shall be directly refunded to the applicant by the facility or agency" (§ 22.5.3(D)(1)(b)(4)). The statute puts the burden on the employer from the start where the aide already has six months' service: the processing fee is "to be paid by the employing facility or agency if the applicant has been continuously employed by the facility for six (6) months prior to the application... but, if the applicant is unemployed, to be submitted by the applicant" (§ 23-17.9-5). The statute's refund language for the manual-skills fee is pro rata "between months six (6) and twelve (12)"; the regulation's refund language is not — both are recorded rather than reconciled.
Who supervises the work: "Nursing assistants must be supervised by a licensed nurse, physician, or other appropriate health professional who is duly licensed and/or certified as required by law. The type of supervision, either direct or indirect, shall be determined by the licensed health care facility" (§ 22.5.1(A)). "Direct supervision" means the supervisor "is and remains on the premises, in the building"; "indirect supervision" means the supervisor is off the premises but assigns duties and evaluates performance (§ 22.3(A)(22)). Three tasks always require DIRECT supervision — enema, colostomy irrigation, and application of hot packs using a moist heat device or heat lamp (§ 22.12.1(B)).
Ten-day address and employment notice: "All nursing assistants and medication aides must notify the Department of all changes of home address and all changes of employment within ten (10) days of any such change. Failure to provide notice will result in sanctions" (§ 22.5(D)) — and failing to do so is separately listed as a ground for discipline at § 22.6(A)(7). Most states ask only for an address; Rhode Island also wants a change of EMPLOYER reported.
Medication Aide — a boundary, not a step: A nursing assistant "may only remind a patient to take medication, unless the nursing assistant is licensed with the Department as a medication aide" (§ 22.12.1(D)(1)). The medication aide licence is a separate Rhode Island credential with its own training programme, its own examination and its own continuing education, and it is not covered by this record.

Legal basis

Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), Center for Health Professions Regulation — Nursing Assistant licensing, advised by the Nursing Assistant Advisory Board. The Department is the “certifying agency” named in the statute: “‘Certifying agency’ means the state department of health” (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-2(a)(1)). Examination administration is contracted out — the Department directs candidates to register for both the written and skills examinations through Credentia. administers certified nursing assistant licensing in Rhode Island. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

Rhode Island’s own noun is “nursing assistant,” and what the Department issues is a LICENSE — the regulation, the application forms and the public lookup all use that word, and the only abbreviation Rhode Island permits is “N.A.”: “The only abbreviation that a nursing assistant may use in this State is ‘N.A.’” (216-RICR-40-05-22, § 22.5(B)). “CNA” and “certified nursing assistant” are the terms the public and employers use; they are not Rhode Island’s statutory or regulatory terms, and Rhode Island issues nothing called a “CNA certificate.” THE STATUTE USES A THIRD VOCABULARY: chapter 23-17.9 is titled “Registration of Nursing Assistants” and requires a “certificate of registration” (§§ 23-17.9-6, 23-17.9-7); § 23-17.9-2(e) refers to “Rhode Island certificates of registration for nursing assistants.” So the same credential is a licence in the current regulation and a certificate of registration in the statute. The statutory definition is also broader than the job title suggests: a nursing assistant “is defined as a nurses’ aide, orderly, or home health aide who is a paraprofessional trained to give personal care and related health care” (§ 23-17.9-2(a)(3)) — orderly and home health aide are inside the definition, not outside it. Other names that are NOT this credential: MEDICATION AIDE, a separate Rhode Island licence built on top of the nursing assistant licence; PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANT, expressly outside the chapter (§ 23-17.9-2(c)); and NNAAP, which is the name of the examination (the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program), not of the credential. The Department’s own public lookup also distinguishes “Nursing Assistant”, “Nursing Assistant-120 day Permit” and “Nursing Assistant-90 day Permit” as separate licence types.

License types & fees

Type	Notes	Who Its For
Nursing Assistant license by examination (Rhode Island training-program route)	This is a real state credential, not a registry listing. The regulation defines a nursing assistant as "a paraprofessional who holds a Rhode Island license pursuant to the provisions of the Act and this Part" (216-RICR-40-05-22, § 22.3(A)(15)), and § 22.5(A) states the bar: "No person shall be employed in this State as a nursing assistant or medication aide unless he or she holds a license as a nursing assistant in accordance with the provisions of the Act and this Part." The title is protected too — § 22.5(B) forbids anyone without the licence from using the title or any abbreviation of it, and adds: "The only abbreviation that a nursing assistant may use in this State is 'N.A.'" Application fee $35.00, paid by check or money order to the RI General Treasurer; the Department's own application says to allow "a minimum of 8 weeks for the entire licensure process" and that "you may NOT practice as a Nursing Assistant in Rhode Island until you have received your license."	A person who has completed a nursing assistant training program licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and passed the state's written and practical examinations.
Nursing Assistant license by examination — nursing-student route (written examination only)	The Department's application states the shortcut plainly: "If you are a current nursing student in a nursing program and completed 2 clinical nursing program courses one of which must be the Fundamentals of Nursing. You are only required to take the written examination." The regulation reaches the same result from the other direction — such students, with written confirmation from the clinical supervisor that they are prepared to serve as a nursing assistant, "are exempt from completing a Nursing Assistant Training Program and from sitting for the National Nurse Assistant Assessment Program Skills portion" (§ 22.5.1(D)). The application requires the signature of the Dean of the School of Nursing (or designee) and gives "3 opportunities to complete" the written examination. IMPORTANT LIMIT ON THE TEMPORARY PERMIT: the application states in capitals that "ONLY Nursing Assistants applying by Examination through a Nursing Assistant Training Program will be issued a 120 day temporary permit" — the nursing-student route does not carry one.	A person actively enrolled in a BSN, associate-degree nursing, accredited LPN or RN course of study who has completed at least two clinical courses, one of which is Fundamentals of Nursing.
Nursing Assistant license by endorsement (already licensed in another state)	The Department's By Endorsement application requires evidence of a current out-of-state nursing assistant licence plus a completed Interstate Verification Form sent to the other state's board, and then ONE of two routes: (a) "Evidence of 100 Nursing Assistant Training Program Hours — Copy of your Nursing Assistant Training Program Certificate of Completion or a letter from your school on company letterhead. Evidence MUST state the number of hours AND must include a minimum of 20 hours of practical clinical training under supervision"; or (b) "Evidence of 3 Months Employment as a Nursing Assistant — Provide an employer's statement that you have at least 3 months of full-time work experience within the last year as a Nursing Assistant... This verification must include one (1) hour per month of in-service training for each month you have been employed." Same $35.00 fee, same Rhode Island Attorney General BCI requirement. The regulation frames the same two routes at § 22.5.3(A)(3) and (A)(4).	A person who currently holds a nursing assistant licence or registration in another state and meets one of two Rhode Island qualifying routes.
120-day Temporary Permit (a bridge, not a credential)	"Applicants for initial licensure as a nursing assistant by examination who have completed a nursing assistant training program in accordance with this Part, may be issued a one hundred twenty (120) day Temporary Permit authorizing the applicant to work under direct supervision of a licensed nurse or physician until the applicant has passed all required portions of the National Nursing Assistant Assessment Program or a nursing assistant written and practical examination selected and approved by the Director or his/her designee" (§ 22.5.4(D)). The Department's application adds: "No extensions will be granted." The Department's own public licence-lookup also carries a "Nursing Assistant-90 day Permit" type alongside the 120-day one; no Rhode Island source read on 2026-08-16 explains who receives the 90-day version, so this record does not describe it.	An applicant for initial licensure by examination who has completed a Rhode Island nursing assistant training program and is waiting to pass the examinations.
Medication Aide licence (a SEPARATE credential built on top of this one)	Named here only because Rhode Island runs both credentials under the same statute and the same regulation, and the public conflates them. A medication aide is "a nursing assistant who has had additional training in the administration of medications and is licensed with the Department as a medication aide" (§ 22.3(A)(11)); the Department states "You must be licensed as a Nursing Assistant to be licensed as a Medication Aide." It requires an active nursing assistant licence, a high-school diploma or equivalent, a Department-approved medication aide training program of "a minimum of forty-five (45) hours of classroom instruction", and passing the Medication Aide Certification Exam (§§ 22.5.3(B), 22.7.1(K)(3)(b)). This record documents the NURSING ASSISTANT licence only.	A licensed Rhode Island nursing assistant who wants to administer medications in a nursing facility, adult day services program or assisted living residence.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Rhode Island’s exemptions live in the statute, and they are unusually specific. WHOLE-CHAPTER CARVE-OUTS (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-2): (1) PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS — “Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, nothing in this section shall apply to those persons designated solely as personal-care attendants, or programs established and administered for the purpose of providing personal-care-attendant service, established by chapter 8.1 of title 40” (§ 23-17.9-2(c)). (2) MATRICULATED NURSING STUDENTS — “No provision of this chapter shall apply to those persons who are actively matriculated in a bachelor of science in nursing, associate degree program in nursing, an accredited licensed practical nursing program, or registered nurse course of study in a national league for nursing accredited nursing program, provided those persons have completed a minimum of two (2) clinical courses and provided those individuals are supervised by a R.N.” (§ 23-17.9-2(d)). (3) THE SAME STUDENTS, EXTENDED TO THE MEDICATION AIDE RULES — § 23-17.9-2(e) repeats the carve-out for “this chapter or of the rules and regulations pertaining to Rhode Island certificates of registration for nursing assistants, medication aides, and the approval of nursing assistant and medication aide training programs, including the provisions related to medication aides,” where the student has also had “appropriate training in medication administration” and is supervised by a registered nurse. EXAMINATION-ONLY EXEMPTIONS (§ 23-17.9-5): “Exempt from the qualifying examination are home health aides/homemakers who have successfully passed the qualifying examination and/or successfully completed an approved home health aide/homemaker program under the provisions of chapter 17.7 of this title”; and “Also exempt from the qualifying examination are classes of individuals, regardless of employment setting, who are exempted from examination by federal statute or regulations and these exemptions shall be defined according to rules and regulations promulgated by the department of health.” A PARTIAL EXEMPTION IN THE REGULATION rather than the statute: matriculated nursing students who have completed two clinical courses including Fundamentals of Nursing, and who supply written documentation from the clinical supervisor that they are prepared to serve as a nursing assistant, “are exempt from completing a Nursing Assistant Training Program and from sitting for the National Nurse Assistant Assessment Program Skills portion” (216-RICR-40-05-22, § 22.5.1(D)) — exempt from the programme and the skills test, but still required to take the written examination and still required to hold the licence, which is a narrower thing than the statute’s blanket carve-out at § 23-17.9-2(d). Both texts are Rhode Island’s own and this record states both rather than collapsing them. WHAT IS NOT EXEMPT: the requirement itself is drawn by TITLE and by EMPLOYMENT, not by task — § 22.5(A) bars employment as a nursing assistant without the licence, and § 22.5(B) bars anyone without it from using the title or any abbreviation of it.

Fees

STATE FEES (216-RICR-10-05-2, Fee Structure for Licensing, Laboratory and Administrative Services Provided by the Department of Health, effective 03/25/2026): Nursing Assistant: Application $35.00 (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17.9-6, 23-1-54); Nursing Assistant: Renewal $35.00 (§§ 23-17.9-7, 23-1-54). The Department’s own application form matches exactly: “Check or money order (preferred), made payable (in U.S. funds only) to the RI General Treasurer in the amount of $35.00… THIS APPLICATION FEE IS NONREFUNDABLE.” On the programme side the same schedule sets Nursing Assistant Training Program: Application $325.00 and Renewal $325.00 — a programme cost, not a candidate cost. The Medication Aide licence carries its own $35.00 application and $35.00 renewal. EXAMINATION FEES ARE SEPARATE AND ARE NOT STATE FEES: the Rhode Island candidate handbook published by the Department’s testing contractor lists Written Exam $55, English Oral Exam $55, Spanish Oral Exam $55, Skills Exam $110, states “You must pay for both the Skills Evaluation and the Written (or Oral) Examination the first time you test,” that “Fees are not refundable,” and that “Under federal and Rhode Island laws, nursing homes are required to pay the NNAAP fees for their nurse aide employees, including individuals required to re-test.” WHAT THE APPLICANT MAY GET BACK: the $35.00 application fee, refunded by the employer, where the aide “is employed by a health care facility at the time of application and is continuously employed by the same facility for six (6) months after the license is issued” (§ 22.5.3(D)(1)(b)(4)). NOT SET BY THE STATE: training tuition — the Department tells candidates to “Contact a training program directly to find out how to enroll, when classes are offered, and how much classes cost” — and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s BCI report, which the applicant obtains from that office. NO SEPARATE REINSTATEMENT FEE IS PUBLISHED for nursing assistants: § 22.5.5(M)(1)(b) refers to a “Reinstatement processing fee as set forth in the Fee Structure,” but the Fee Structure’s NURSING ASSISTANT block lists only Application and Renewal at $35.00 each (both read on 2026-08-16), so this record states no reinstatement figure.

Exam

Two parts, both required, and Rhode Island splits them across two settings. The Department: “You must Register Online to schedule the written and skills examinations. The written portion of the exam is now taken online and the skills portion will be assigned to a Regional Testing location in Rhode Island, based on availability.” WRITTEN: seventy (70) multiple-choice questions in English, with two (2) hours allowed. ORAL ALTERNATIVE: an Oral Examination may be taken instead of the written one and must be requested when the application is filled out; it has two parts — sixty (60) multiple-choice questions, each read twice, plus ten (10) questions testing recognition of common long-term-care words, each word read three times — and both parts must be passed. A Spanish Oral Examination exists, in which the ten word-recognition items are read in Spanish and matched to the English word. SKILLS: “you will be asked to perform five (5) randomly selected nurse aide skills. You will be rated on these skills by a Nurse Evaluator.” (Those exam-mechanics details are from the Rhode Island candidate handbook published by the Department’s testing contractor, not from Rhode Island regulation.) WHAT THE REGULATION REQUIRES OF THE PRACTICAL TEST, in Rhode Island’s own words: it must test communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety emergency procedures, promotion of patients’ independence, respecting patients’ rights, basic nursing skills, mental health and social service needs, care of cognitively impaired patients, and basic restorative services — and “Where appropriate, skills demonstration shall be performed on a real patient, or ‘pseudo-patient,’ but shall not be performed on a mannequin” (§ 22.7.1(J)(2)-(3)). ATTEMPTS: three (§ 22.5.4(C)). DEADLINE: within one year of the date training began (§ 22.5.4(B)). SCHEDULING IS THE PROGRAMME’S JOB, NOT ONLY THE CANDIDATE’S: “Paperwork and scheduling required for a candidate to sit for the State Nursing Assistant examination shall be prepared by the nursing assistant training program, and testing scheduled with the testing provider within ten (10) days after the applicant’s completion of the program” (§ 22.7.1(D)(3)). NURSING STUDENTS take the written examination only and are exempt from the skills portion (§ 22.5.1(D); Department application).

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial, on a fixed statewide date rather than on the licensee’s own anniversary. “Unless suspended or revoked, this license shall expire biennially (every two (2) years) on June 30 of every other year following the date of issuance of the original registration” (§ 22.5.5(A)). The filing deadline is two weeks before that: “Every nursing assistant and/or medication aide who wishes to renew his or her license shall file a renewal application with the Department together with the renewal fee… before June 15” (§ 22.5.5(B)), and “Upon receipt of such renewal application and payment of the fee, the Department shall renew the license effective July 1, and expiring June 30, two (2) years later” (§ 22.5.5(C)). The Department renews online and states: “Renewal notices are sent out 60 days before your expiration date.” WHAT KEEPS THE LICENCE ALIVE IS WORK PLUS IN-SERVICE HOURS, and Rhode Island asks for both: “A nursing assistant seeking renewal shall have been employed as a nursing assistant for at least eight (8) hours within the prior twenty-four (24) months and have completed twelve (12) hours of in-service training per year at the facility where employed; or have successfully completed a nursing assistant training program and passed the exam for licensure within the past twenty-four (24) months” (§ 22.5.5(E)). WHERE THE WORK MUST HAVE BEEN DONE (§ 22.5.5(G)): a Rhode Island health care facility licensed under R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 23-17; an assisted living residence licensed under ch. 23-17.4; an adult day services program licensed under § 23-1-52; or employment by a licensed nursing service agency — and “Private duty employment does not meet this employment requirement.” HOW IT IS PROVED: by attestation, subject to audit — “A nursing assistant applicant seeking renewal shall attest that he or she has been employed within the previous twenty-four (24) months when completing the online renewal form. Renewal applicants are subject to audit and must retain proof of completion of in-service hours and/or Continuing Education Units for a three (3) year period” (§ 22.5.5(J)). The statute adds a plain-language backstop: renewals “shall be granted as a matter of course, upon payment of a fee” unless the Department finds grounds for suspension or revocation (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-7). NO CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS are required of a Rhode Island nursing assistant. What is required at renewal is TWELVE (12) HOURS OF IN-SERVICE TRAINING PER YEAR, delivered at the facility where the aide works: a nursing assistant seeking renewal must have worked at least eight hours in the prior twenty-four months “and have completed twelve (12) hours of in-service training per year at the facility where employed” (216-RICR-40-05-22, § 22.5.5(E)). The same twelve-hour figure governs reinstatement after a lapse: an applicant must attest to “completion of twelve (12) hours per twelve (12) month period of in-service training” (§ 22.5.5(M)(1)(d)). Proof is not filed with the renewal but must be kept: renewal applicants “are subject to audit and must retain proof of completion of in-service hours and/or Continuing Education Units for a three (3) year period” (§ 22.5.5(J)). DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH THE MEDICATION AIDE RULE, which is a different credential and a different number: a medication aide must “submit proof of four (4) Continuing Education Units” for renewal (§ 22.5.5(F)), and “in the preceding two (2) years the licensee has completed four (4) required continuing education hours” (§ 22.5.5(K)(1)). Twelve in-service hours a year is the nursing assistant’s obligation; four continuing education hours per two-year cycle is the medication aide’s. Tiers searched on 2026-08-16 for a nursing assistant continuing-education requirement and NOT found: 216-RICR-40-05-22 in full, R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17.9-1 through 23-17.9-7, the Department’s Nursing Assistant page, and both Department application packets.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), Center for Health Professions Regulation — Nursing Assistant licensing, advised by the Nursing Assistant Advisory Board. The Department is the “certifying agency” named in the statute: “‘Certifying agency’ means the state department of health” (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.9-2(a)(1)). Examination administration is contracted out — the Department directs candidates to register for both the written and skills examinations through Credentia.. Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Department of Health (the Department’s own “Online Verification Site”; the Department links it from its Nursing Assistant page as “Verify a Nursing Assistant License”) publishes a public license search , searchable by profession, license type, license status, first name, last name or license number. It covers Every health profession Rhode Island licenses, including nursing assistants. The search-by list above was read from the live search form’s own input and select controls on 2026-08-16 (t_web_lookup__profession_name, t_web_lookup__license_type_name, t_web_lookup__license_status_name, t_web_lookup__first_name, t_web_lookup__last_name, t_web_lookup__license_no) rather than from a description of the tool. Choosing “Nursing Assistant” in the Profession list narrows the search; the License Type list carries the separate entries “Nursing Assistant”, “Nursing Assistant-120 day Permit”, “Nursing Assistant-90 day Permit”, “Emergency Temp Nursing Assistant” and “90 Day Emergency Temp Nursing Assistant”, alongside “Medication Aide”, “Medication Aide LD”, “Medication Aide Provisional” and “Emergency Temp Medication Aide”. The Department’s instructions on the page: “Use an asterisk (*) to enter part of the First Name, Last Name or License Number. This is very helpful if you are not sure of spelling.” The page also routes complaints — “If you are submitting a complaint, you must follow the above steps first to search for the license about which you are complaining” — and a separate link on the same site searches facilities rather than people. ONE THING TO EXPECT BEFORE CLICKING: the page builds its results from a form submission rather than from a web address, so a search result cannot be bookmarked, emailed or cited; you have to run the search yourself each time, and an automated watch on this address sees only the empty form. The Department separately offers downloadable licensee lists and a written Person License Verification Request for anyone who needs a document rather than a screen.

Records come from Rhode Island Department of Health (the Department’s own “Online Verification Site”; the Department links it from its Nursing Assistant page as “Verify a Nursing Assistant License”)’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Rhode Island CNA licensed or just on a registry?

Licensed — and Rhode Island is one of the states where that distinction is real. The Department of Health issues a nursing assistant LICENCE, and the regulation makes holding it a condition of employment: “No person shall be employed in this State as a nursing assistant or medication aide unless he or she holds a license as a nursing assistant in accordance with the provisions of the Act and this Part.” It also protects the title — nobody without the licence may call themselves a nursing assistant, and “The only abbreviation that a nursing assistant may use in this State is ‘N.A.’” One wrinkle worth knowing: the underlying statute, chapter 23-17.9, is titled “Registration of Nursing Assistants” and still speaks of a “certificate of registration.” Same credential, two official vocabularies. The federal registry sits underneath as the Department’s own licence database.

How many training hours does Rhode Island require for a CNA?

120 — 80 classroom and 40 clinical, which is 45 hours above the federal 75-hour floor. The Department states it on its application form: “Effective 01/01/2019 training hours must contain 80 classroom hours and 40 clinical hours for a total of a 120 hour program,” and the regulation requires approved programmes to run “no less than one hundred twenty (120) clock hours including no less than forty (40) hours of practical training.” At least 16 of the classroom hours must come before any direct contact with patients. Online programmes may deliver the 80 didactic hours over the internet, but the 40 practical hours must be provided by the employing facility. A programme run inside a health care facility must be finished within 90 days.

Who gives the Rhode Island nursing assistant exam, and what is on it?

Credentia, administering the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program — the Department tells candidates to “Register for the Exams through Credentia.” There are two parts and you must pass both. The written test is 70 multiple-choice questions with two hours allowed, and Rhode Island now takes it online; the skills test is done in person and “the skills portion will be assigned to a Regional Testing location in Rhode Island, based on availability,” where you perform five randomly selected skills for a Nurse Evaluator. An oral version can replace the written test if you request it when you apply, in English or Spanish. Rhode Island’s regulation adds a rule most states leave unsaid: skills “shall be performed on a real patient, or ‘pseudo-patient,’ but shall not be performed on a mannequin.”

What does it cost to become a nursing assistant in Rhode Island?

The state licence fee is $35.00, non-refundable, paid by check or money order to the RI General Treasurer — the same $35.00 applies to renewal. The examination is billed separately by the testing contractor: $55 for the written exam (or $55 for the English or Spanish oral exam) plus $110 for the skills exam, and both must be paid the first time you test. If you already work at a nursing home you should not be paying the exam fee at all, because “nursing homes are required to pay the NNAAP fees for their nurse aide employees, including individuals required to re-test.” And if you are employed by a health care facility when you apply and stay with that same facility for six months after your licence issues, the $35.00 application fee “shall be directly refunded to the applicant by the facility or agency.” Training tuition is set by each programme, not by the state.

How long do I have to pass the exam in Rhode Island?

One year from the day your training STARTED — not from the day it finished, which is the trap. “All applicants shall be required to successfully complete the nursing assistant examinations within a period of one (1) year from the date that the applicant began the nursing assistant training program. If more than one (1) year has passed, the nursing assistant applicant shall be required to complete the nursing assistant training program again.” You get three attempts inside that window; after three unsuccessful attempts you must repeat the training programme. Your training programme is required to schedule your test with the testing provider within ten days of your finishing the course.

Can I work in Rhode Island while I wait for my nursing assistant licence?

Only on a 120-day temporary permit, and only on one route. The regulation allows applicants for initial licensure by examination who have completed a Rhode Island training programme to receive “a one hundred twenty (120) day Temporary Permit authorizing the applicant to work under direct supervision of a licensed nurse or physician” until they pass. The Department’s application is blunt about the limits: “ONLY Nursing Assistants applying by Examination through a Nursing Assistant Training Program will be issued a 120 day temporary permit,” and “No extensions will be granted.” Otherwise you must wait — allow at least eight weeks for processing, and “you may NOT practice as a Nursing Assistant in Rhode Island until you have received your license.”

How does Rhode Island nursing assistant renewal work, and is there continuing education?

It renews every two years on a fixed date rather than your own anniversary: the licence “shall expire biennially (every two (2) years) on June 30 of every other year,” the renewal must be filed “before June 15,” and the new licence runs from July 1. The fee is $35.00 and the Department sends renewal notices 60 days ahead. There is no continuing-education-unit requirement, but there are two conditions: you must have “been employed as a nursing assistant for at least eight (8) hours within the prior twenty-four (24) months” AND have “completed twelve (12) hours of in-service training per year at the facility where employed.” The work has to have been in a Rhode Island-licensed facility, assisted living residence, adult day services programme or through a licensed nursing service agency — “Private duty employment does not meet this employment requirement.” You attest to all of it online and must keep the proof for three years, because renewals are audited.

What happens if my Rhode Island nursing assistant licence lapses?

Under two years, it is a paperwork problem: a licence “whose license lapses for a period of less than two (2) years may be reinstated by the Department upon submission of an application and payment of the renewal fee(s).” Two years or longer is different — you must retrain and retake all required examinations, UNLESS you can still show qualifying employment, because the rule applies to someone “who cannot provide proof of employment” under the renewal-employment sections. There is also a dedicated route for an aide who kept working in another state: an active out-of-state licence, verification of good standing from that state, eight hours of qualifying Rhode Island employment within the past two years, and twelve in-service hours per twelve-month period.

I am a CNA in another state — can I transfer to Rhode Island?

Yes, by endorsement, and Rhode Island gives you two ways to qualify. You always need a current nursing assistant licence in the other state plus an Interstate Verification Form sent to that state’s board, the $35.00 fee and an original Rhode Island Attorney General BCI dated within four months. Then either show “Evidence of 100 Nursing Assistant Training Program Hours” — the certificate or school letter must state the hours and include at least 20 hours of supervised practical clinical training — or show “at least 3 months of full-time work experience within the last year as a Nursing Assistant” on the Employment Verification Form, including one hour of in-service training per month worked. Note the asymmetry: Rhode Island’s own programmes must be 120 hours, but it will endorse a 100-hour out-of-state programme. The application must be mailed; Rhode Island does not accept it by hand.

Is a nursing student exempt from the Rhode Island nursing assistant requirements?

Partly, and the statute and the regulation say different things, so both are worth knowing. The statute is a blanket carve-out: “No provision of this chapter shall apply to those persons who are actively matriculated in a bachelor of science in nursing, associate degree program in nursing, an accredited licensed practical nursing program, or registered nurse course of study” in an NLN-accredited programme, provided they have completed at least two clinical courses and are supervised by an R.N. The regulation is narrower: such a student, with written confirmation from the clinical supervisor, is “exempt from completing a Nursing Assistant Training Program and from sitting for the National Nurse Assistant Assessment Program Skills portion” — still taking the written exam and still holding the licence. Separately, people “designated solely as personal-care attendants” are outside the chapter altogether.

How do I check whether someone holds a Rhode Island nursing assistant licence?

Use the Department of Health’s Online Verification Site, which the Department links from its Nursing Assistant page. Pick “Nursing Assistant” from the Profession list and search by first name, last name or licence number — an asterisk works as a wildcard if you are unsure of the spelling. The License Type list separates the full licence from the 120-day and 90-day permits, and from the Medication Aide entries. One practical note: results come from a form submission, so a result has no web address of its own and cannot be bookmarked or forwarded. Anyone who needs proof on paper can file a Person License Verification Request with the Department, and the Department also publishes downloadable licensee lists.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Rhode Island.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: August 16, 2026.

We re-fetch every cited source on a weekly schedule: see what changed at the agencies, or every correction we have ever made.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.